Stan's 5-Point Stance: Gerrard Will Be Liverpool Boss, Cech Move Up to Mourinho
In this week's five-point stance, Stan Collymore visits topics related to Steven Gerrard's last game at Anfield, Manchester United against Arsenal, Petr Cech, Leicester City and the 30th anniversary of the Bradford City fire.
1. Expect Steven Gerrard Back in the Anfield Dugout Within 4 Years
Around 1995 and 1996, I remember a fresh-faced young kid among a group of local lads at Liverpool, and the name of Steven Gerrard was mentioned to me a few times.
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But there was none of the fanfare around Gerrard that there was surrounding Michael Owen at the time.
Jamie Redknapp told me a few years later that nobody saw the near-force of nature Gerrard was coming. If he is not the greatest Liverpool player ever, he is certainly on a par with Kenny Dalglish.
He has had an extraordinary career in which he has had his loyalty tested and always stepped up to the plate.
I watched his England debut from a beer garden in Germany, I watched him haul Liverpool back into the 2005 Champions League final from a town called Uzes in France and was at Anfield for his slip against Chelsea last season. I will be there for his final Anfield game as a broadcaster.
It's quite bizarre that through my own personal highs and lows, he has been a waypost by which to judge time.
Gerrard has been my favourite Premier League player of the past 20 years, and if he had played for any one of the other top clubs, he would have won multiple titles.
He and John Terry are the last of the generation of players on whom there was an expectation to stand up and play with their hearts on their sleeves.
Gerrard should not be judged on the Premier League. What he achieved in Istanbul 10 years ago was the equivalent of anything any Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United or Manchester City player has done.
I fully expect him to be back in the Liverpool dugout wearing a suit a la Garry Monk and Eddie Howe within four years.
If Gerrard wants to manage Liverpool, his name will only take him so far. He needs to position himself as a quiet, softly spoken coach in the Monk-Howe mould and go about his business without fuss.
Just being Steven Gerrard will not be enough. He would have to be the Steven Gerrard who connects with young players and senior pros. He has brought out great performances from others as a captain, but it will be different as a manager.
He has all the attributes to do it, including a steel and fire in his belly, and I believe he will.
2. Manchester United and Arsenal Can Lay Down Psychological Marker for Next Season on Sunday
In years gone by, you'd think of Ruud van Nistelrooy versus Martin Keown and Pizzagate when it comes to matches between Manchester United and Arsenal.
But the thing that will come out of Sunday's game will be for one of the teams to send a message of intent for next season by beating a top-four rival.
I think it will be a score draw, but if one side came away with the win, the feelgood factor going into next season would be palpable.
United will spend big in the summer, but Arsenal's tangent of progress has been very good, so a comprehensive winner here would go into the summer break confident for next season.
3. Petr Cech Future Depends on Jose Mourinho's Benevolence Toward Rivals
The future of Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has been open to debate for a while now, such as in the Independent, but a lot will depend on whether Jose Mourinho allows him to join another English club.
Cech would add significantly to any of the top six clubs. Would he be tempted to join a club such as Southampton, West Ham United or Swansea City to help them on to the next level?
Would he get a gig at Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich? He would as a number two, but I doubt he is looking for that.
Where could he slip in as the No. 1 goalkeeper? He certainly would at Arsenal. It would be a great bit of business by Manchester United if they tell Real Madrid they can have David De Gea and proceed to get Cech from Chelsea.
But would Mourinho feel benevolent about selling a world-class goalkeeper to a Premier League rival? He will only let Petr Cech go where he wants him to go.
4. Nigel Pearson Should Be Named Manager of the Year if Leicester City Stay Up
If Nigel Pearson keeps Leicester City up, he should get the Manager of the Year award for not allowing his team to lose ground at the foot of the table.
After working with Leicester physio Dave Rennie and recovering from a broken leg within six weeks, reported by BBC Sport, I know they are as good as any club in the country in terms of training regimes, keeping players fit and motivated. That all seems to be coming to fruition late on in the season.
I did a radio show a few weeks ago in which I predicted Leicester would stay up for no other reasons than Nigel Pearson is a man who will not panic and because of the team spirit he has engendered at the club.
The Leicester players have been taught not to flap, and it has shown on their recent run.
Pearson has taken a lot of stick for his demeanour, but he prevented Leicester being cut adrift with hard-working performances this season, and players such as Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and David Nugent have all played their part to lift Leicester out of the drop zone.
5. The 56 Victims of the 1985 Bradford City Fire Will Never Be Forgotten
I recently watched One Day in May—a documentary commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Bradford City fire, in which 56 fans died—with great sadness.
I remember playing football with my nephews at a youth club a few miles from where I lived on that day in 1985. We later watched the BBC show Grandstand, which was showing regular news updates from Valley Parade, so we knew it was a serious situation at the time.
I remember the pictures of one policeman with his hair on fire, and it frightened me as a youngster.
As a former Bradford player, you are very aware of the tragedy that befell so many people. It is a very close-knit community, and typical of Yorkshire people, there isn't a lot of grieving in public. Therefore, it almost became a forgotten tragedy.
As fans and broadcasters, we now sit in safe stadia with great facilities, and we must never forget that is the legacy of the tragedy at Valley Parade—along with those at Heysel and Hillsborough. Many people paid too high a price for ensuring stadium safety.
My thoughts remain with those who lost friends and family in the tragedy.
